Baby Mine
by katerinaaqu
Summary: Dante, the little crown Prince of Meridian is alone. He has no one to play. Everyone fears him due to his great resemblance to his uncle Prince Phobos. Little Dante will ask for comfort into her caring mother's arms, Queen Elyon and she comforts him with a sweet lullaby. Elyon x OC family moment. Please review. Enjoy


" _Reputation is an idle and most false imposition;_

 _oft got without merit, and lost without deserving."_

 _William Shakespeare_

Tap…tap…tap…

This was the sound of a small ball rolling down the endless corridor of the castle, practically echoing around the walls, followed by the half-running footsteps of the boy running after it. The corridor was long and all dressed in fine marble with a long carpet covering the floor. The countless paintings were decorating the place having as a result countless portraits of Old Queens and their Royal Husbands or their family members constantly looking down at whoever was passing by or they were simply pictures of nature and were giving off calmness and tranquility. The palace of Meridian stood in its full glory and light once more even years after the fall of the great tyrant Phobos under the rule of the Light of Meridian, as they called her, Queen Elyon.

The small, plump feet were after the bouncing, red ball constantly. The little boy wore its hair long and by the way they were falling down the middle of his back, resembled a waterfall of dull gold. He was dressed in brown pants and a warm orange blouse (After all the Thoron was in for good and the little boy would easily get cold). Despite his warm clothes, the boy was barefoot. He liked feeling the carpets and the marble through his tiny toes. The boy didn't seem older than the age of five and his bright blue eyes seemed to be glowing in innocence and kindness. Unfortunately though, there was also a glow of loneliness, a glister of sadness, a hint of fear and a constant question; "Why?"

There were a couple of women talking at the end of the corridor. They were dressed in simple clothes; long skirts with aprons and three-quarter-sleeved blouses. One of them was holding a basket full with white clothes and the other was holding a broom. They seemed really into their conversation and their giggling that they didn't notice the red ball rolling close to their feet. The small object stopped to the skirt of the woman with the basket. The boy stopped and bended to pick it up, with both of his plump, white hands. He looked up and smiled a sweet smile and his blue eyes brighten up a little. He held the small ball up with both his hands.

"Care to play?" asked sweetly

The two females seemed shocked to see the boy there, and sure not happy cause when the boy made his request, they suddenly seemed too busy and too hasty to return to their duties, for they pretended they hadn't seen him or that the conversation never happened and walked away, one to one direction and one to the other; The one with the basket passed by the boy's shoulder, mumbling an apology in the process but even a child as young as the boy was, could tell it wasn't a whole-hearted one. More it seemed like a forced one or one she was supposed to give out of cold courtesy. The boy remained frozen, as if his mind hadn't yet taken in the clear denial to even talk to him or perhaps because till the last moment a little candle of hope had been shining in his tender, childish heart, that one of the two women would change her mind and come back to play with him. He kept on turning his head towards the one of the other direction of the hall but neither of the two stopped… Neither of the two turned around… The boy's little arms lowered the ball and his small head hanged. They had left. He was alone in the endless corridors. A diamond-like tear, and only one, ran down his rosy cheek. He sniffed once or twice looking down…

"Why…?"

* * *

The little prince was once more running down the palace's corridor. Yes, the little boy was a prince. He was the Prince of Meridian, son to the Light of Meridian, Queen Elyon however loneliness was his crown and tears his jewels. He was alone most of the time children of his age (even older children) of the castle wouldn't play with him. They always looked to the other side and leave, pretending they hadn't seen him and mumbling things like "Demon-Child" or "Dark Lord" and other stuff like this. This baby boy never really understood what they meant, but it wasn't only children. Adults too would walk away every time he passed by them…

In any case the young prince was now walking down the endless palace corridors holding a small book. It was his favorite. It was a leather-dressed book, blue with two golden stripes to its back. He liked blue. It reminded him of the sky outside, plus it fitted with his eyes. The book contained fairy tales of Meridian and plenty of colorful pictures. The boy didn't know how to read well yet but he definitely enjoyed the pictures. He felt like traveling in them. As he walked down the corridor he found an old, oak door. He knew where it headed. He knew the entire palace by heart, after all.

He pushed the large and heavy door with both his little hands and the familiar scents embraced him. He knew where he was heading. It was the castle's kitchen. The air was full with the mixed scent of freshly baked bread, the smell of roasting meat along with the discreet essence of spices and flour and lemon… He smiled. He liked the smell of the kitchens. He often sneaked in here to grab a biscuit, still warm and sweet-smelling from the oven or find some warmth by the fire. He walked down the stone stairs to meet the working people. He knew that normally he shouldn't be here and much more to be disturbing the workers at the hours of their duty, but at the moment he really needed someone to talk to. He didn't want to go to his mother again. He was five years old, he was a proper man now. He shouldn't be hiding behind his mother. It was about time to become independent from her and make new friends…

He smiled and walked towards a few women who were working over a stone bench. The one was kneading the brad while the others were using the rolling pin to make pies with different dough. He went to the one kneading and shyly pulled her skirt twice. She felt the yanking and bent down but immediately her face changed expression into a worried one. The boy smiled showing her his book.

"Care to read stories with me?" asked as kindly as he could, putting his best smile on

The girl seemed tongue-tied cause she started to stammer;

"Ah…m-my Prince…I…I can't now…you see…"

In the end she was saved by one of her colleagues, one of the two fat ladies that were making the pies:

"Oh dear! The berries are over! Honey can you come with me and help him take some from the storing room?"

"Of course, dear. I am coming right away!"

And both of them walked past the small prince but not before he heard a very faint whisper of the thin lady:

"Thank you, Hildegard! I just can't stand this! I can't even look at him anymore! His marks…oh goodness, those marks!"

The young prince knew what she was talking about; the marks on his forehead. The red lines were there since the day he was born but now that he was growing up, they were becoming more visible…less faint. Many people were afraid even to look at him anymore. It was as if those marks he had on his forehead were some kind of deadly disease that would get someone else sick if he or she even looked at them! It wasn't fair! All he wanted to do was play, to have some good time with someone else! All he tried to do was to be nice to others! This wasn't fair! This wasn't fair at all!

Tears started streaming down this little face, salty and burning and no matter how much he would mop them away with his sleeve, they just kept on coming more and more. He shut his eyes closed and ran out of the kitchens and into the corridor leaving behind all the different smells and sounds and the oak door…

* * *

The Queen's chambers were spacious and luminous, well fitted for a Queen. Queen Elyon rarely ever had time to spend in her chambers alone, except the time she would retire for sleep. She was a busy queen and was trying to do the best for her people. But except of Queen she was also a Mother. Her baby boy was only five years old and still Elyon noticed that his eyes had more sadness than the old people with no food. The little Prince was her only child from the ex-rebel Diego. Despite the fact the throne of Meridian passed from Queen to Queen, Elyon felt so much adoration for this little baby that she believed she wouldn't be happier if she gave birth to a girl instead (and therefore a rightful Heir for the throne).

The baby was a sweet little boy, so soft and so pale that the Queen felt like he was made of un-baked pasta, so soft she had the impression she could give him shape with her fingers. He was crying so loud when he came to this world and Elyon felt like she had heard the sweetest melody of all time. The baby though didn't look like either her or his father, and that was the source of the little one's torment. The baby was pale but also blonde like clean sand, even more. He looked like he had worn sunrays on his small head. Elyon's hair was darker of color and they seemed to be almost dark brown and the boy's father had hair red like sunset. However the boy looked like him…

Elyon had felt so confused when she saw this. The boy didn't look like her, didn't look like his father…didn't even look like her own parents. It looked like him…

Phobos.

It was as if her older brother, the Dark Lord, the Prince of Destruction, the Tyrant of Meridian, and many other titles, was still haunting her somehow. Every single man, woman and child of her kingdom feared him. He is HIS reincarnation, some people said, HE did black magic to enter the Queen's womb and be re-born, said some others. And many, many other rumors reached Elyon's ears, rumors she knew there was no way she could stop no matter how hard she tried. Elyon felt scared herself for a second, so she couldn't blame them. Phobos was indeed a tyrant for Meridian. He had enslaved, tormented, slaughtered her people, had starved them and shut them to cells and mines, he had sucked their vital energy like parasite and all because of his great ambition. Elyon remembered hating him for this.

However now she was scared, but for different way. She was a Queen now, not a scared teenage girl. She was a mature woman, matured from her duties and from motherhood along with the years that passed over her and now she saw things differently. Why would Phobos have this kinds of ambitions? Why would he go to such extreme methods to get what he wanted from Meridian? Probably the answer was with her all along. Phobos was older than her, much older, and still he always came second. Like she had read in books on Earth that the female Princesses of Medieval times had no rights on the throne and were always considered as wives and Ladies, the same way Phobos was cast away. Meridian was passing to Queens and not to Kings. Meridian never had a King that ruled. The title of "King" was equal to the word "Husband" since the Kings had no other authority than the one the Queens gave them. Phobos came always second. Elyon didn't know what kind of life he had…what kind of childhood he had passed.

She didn't even know what part her mother had played to this. As a teenage girl, Elyon would even curse herself for every such thought that crept in her mind but now appeared the most logical thing in the world. What if her mother (intentionally or unintentionally) had cast Phobos aside for her? That would cause Phobos a great bitterness in his soul and every darkness he had inside him, grew bigger and stronger. Perhaps Phobos never had the chance even to prove himself as a leader so he became a tyrant instead… Elyon didn't know. The thing she knew though was the fact that now her son was experiencing similar things. No one even allowed him to prove himself and his good heart and the Queen, the Light of Meridian was now afraid. She was afraid that her son would experience the same bitterness as his uncle. Elyon was always the only true close person her son had. Someone could say that she was overprotective with him.

She was feeding him from her breast till the boy became at the age of four. Only recently milk ran out of her breasts and the boy stopped drinking it. This had connected mother and son more than anything else in the world. If she was on Earth as a girl she might have laughed at this if someone told her such a story but now…now here she was. She actually enjoyed the feeling of the boy's lips on her breast and his sweet-smelling scent to her bosom. It was as if her son was the last "great love of her life". He was her precious treasure, her life, her soul. Sh would give away her crown, no, her life for him if that meant to make him happy. She felt like being ill. Just the thought of her boy being in trouble was making her feeling sick. Elyon could still remember herself practically running down the corridor to go to her son's room to check on him every time she heard the slightest sound coming from him (even if in the end it was a stupid reason). She knew that her people were talking about her too. No Queen before had breast-fed her son. Queens of Meridian had to take care of their heirs and heirs only. Usually other women would give milk for the male children but the Queen hadn't only fed the male child from her own breast but also kept doing so till the baby was that old.

And the problem was that her son was neither sickly nor weaker than other children. On the contrary he was growing strong and healthy and bigger every passing day. His cheeks were rosy and soft, his little hands and arms plump and strong, he walked fast (he was barely one year old when he did so) and he said his first word around the same age. This was filling her people with even more fear. Her boy was strong and healthy, but his little heart was shy, collected and submissive… He was nothing alike to Phobos at this… Nothing!

The Queen's thoughts were interrupted by the opening of her door. She turned around quickly and saw her boy standing at the door, his little eyes teary and he was already rasping for breath, proof that he had been crying.

"Dante?" the Queen mumbled.

Little Dante sniffed a couple of times.

"Mommy!" he called out desperately and ran at her hugging her tightly and burying his face into her purple skirts.

The Queen knew what had made her son like this, but nevertheless wrapped her arms around him protectively.

"Dante, my baby? What is it? What happened?" she cooed at him

Dante looked up with his teary eyes fastened into hers, almost pleadingly.

"Why, mommy? Why? All I…I…wan…ted…as…t-to play…!" he mumbled whiningly between his sniffing and sobbing

Queen Elyon smiled a sad smile. Yes she knew, but also her son didn't know yet. She hadn't spoken to him about her brother and no one else had. In Meridian they were scared even to say his name aloud. It had become something like a taboo.

"Hush…" she whispered softly, "People are mean sometimes… They are to everyone… You must not let their words touch you…"

The little prince mopped his nose with his sleeve, still sniffing

"B-But…they…they always…l-love you, mommy… They want you… Why wouldn't they want me…? Why? What did I do wrong?"

The Queen felt tears burn her eyes but she held them back heroically.

"Oh, my baby…" she whispered taking her son in her arms and her son as if by instinct, wrapped his little plump arms around her neck, finding comfort in the familiar scent of her hair, "…My poor, poor, sweet baby…"

The small boy cried a little more but soon, his mom's comforting rocking did the job and soon looked at her in the eyes. His eyes were dry again with only the hint that he had been crying before.

"Do you remember the lullaby I was singing to you when you were a baby?" Elyon asked him sweetly as she sat on her bed.

Dante gave her a nod. Elyon gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek as she started to sing:

" _Baby mine, don't you cry_

 _Baby mine, dry your eyes_

 _Rest your head close to my heart_

 _Never to part, baby of mine…"_

Dante leaned his small, blonde head against her shoulder letting her voice and her rocking do their magic…

" _Little one when you play_

 _Don't you mind what they say_

 _Let those eyes sparkle and shine_

 _Never a tear, baby of mine…"_

She was always caressing his small back and his golden hair as she did so… She was rocking him back and forth as she was feeling him slowly drifting to sleep. Deep inside her she felt like singing for him too, for her brother, for Phobos. It was as if apologizing to him too, as if asking him make peace….

" _From your head to your toes_

 _Baby mine_

 _You're so sweet, goodness knows_

 _Baby mine_

 _You are so precious to me_

 _Sweet as can be, baby of mine_

 _Baby mine_

 _Baby mine…"_

As her singing stopped she could sense the breathing to her nape, slow and steady, the rhythmical moving of the small chest, up and down, was slow and soft. She could tell he was finally asleep. She carefully lowered him from her shoulder to her lap. The boy instinctively nuzzled to her stomach, wanting more warmth. Only then Elyon left the tears freely fall from her face and burn her cheeks. How can people hate such an angel? Look at him, how peacefully he sleeps, not even making the slightest sound. Only his breathing was heard and that was really faint and barely noticeable. How can people hate such a golden heart?

The words of the lullaby were those she had invented. She could see the fear in the eyes of her people even since the day her little Prince was born. She didn't need more proof for what would be about to follow, of how he was going to be treated later, but she was hoping and her hope had turned in ashes into her mouth. If only she had done something for it! If only! However the other part of her knew it was pointless. She couldn't force her people accept Dante nor she could change what Dante was. Even the Light of Meridian with the unbelievable magical powers couldn't change things the way they are. The only thing she could do was to caress her son, keep him company, be his guardian angel and comfort him when he was hurt.

She could kiss his scratched knee and mop his tears from his eyes softly, she could coo at him sweet words and she could sing to him. She could read to him and play with him however she couldn't change the things the way they were. She couldn't change the past and she couldn't change the present. The only thing she hoped now for was to change the future. She gave Dante another sweet kiss on his milk-white forehead.

"One day, my baby…one day you'll be ready to learn everything. One day I will be ready to tell you everything…about the past…and about the present… One day…"

Yes…one day perhaps…but not yet…not yet… Not tonight… She brushed some hair away from her son's angelic face.

"Sleep tight, my sweet. Mom is here…" she whispered to him, "Sleep tight…"

 _Baby Mine…_ _  
_

* * *

 **This one-shot is a gift for CalebCornelia (DA) because she had honored me when she told me that she was inspired by some pictures of mine or some suggestions I made to her**

**Of course she never had time to finish those ideas she got but even when she mentioned that she got inspired by things I said or made, this alone was enough to make me grateful. Plus she is a very open-minded person and I see it in our conversations every time.**

 **Anyway I am sorry this one-shot took me so while or that it is not very good and it is short.**  
 **The preview image belongs mostly to her . It is from her picture. I took it and put a background I found online to make this for her.**

 **Well...her OC Dante in a small childish memory. She mentioned that Dante spent most of his childhood alone because he resembled so much of Phobos that others feared him...**  
 **The lullaby Elyon is singing to him is the well-known** _Baby Mine_ **from the movie** Dumbo **(I always cried at that scene!)**

 **Anyway please enjoy this little something**

 **"Thoron" that is mentioned in here is one of the two seasons that are supposed to be in Meridian. In one of the extra issues of the comics it is mentioned that in Meridian there is never much cold nor much heat and that it has two seasons:**  
 _ **Aran** __(that is something like spring)_  
 _ **Thoron**_ _(that is something like cool autumn)_  
 **That's why I mentioned Thoron. Cause I guessed it might be slightly colder than Aran.**


End file.
